The apostle Paul admonished us by
saying; “I speak as to wise men; judge for your-selves what I say. The cup of
blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The
bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we,
though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread” (1Corinthians
10:15-17).
The body and blood of Jesus
Christ is the food for the Lord’s offering which the saints have covenanted to
offer to the Lord at the appointed time. The truth of the matter is, saints are
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own special
people, that they may proclaim the praises of Him who called them out of darkness
into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of
God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1
Peter 2:9)
According to the law which
governs the priesthood, the priests shall be holy to their God and not profane
the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire
(zeal), and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy” (Leviticus
21:6).
Remember, the Old Testament was a
copy and shadow of the reality, in the Old Testament it was not possible that
the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when Jesus Christ
came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
Then I said, 'Behold, I have come
--- In the volume of the book it is written of Me ---To do Your will, O God.'
"Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and
offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are
offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do
Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the
second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:4-10).
Therefore, the body and the blood
of Jesus Christ which is represented by the bread and the wine is the duty of
the saints according to the rules of the covenant, to offer to the Lord at the
appointed time the food for His offerings.
This is the new and living way by
which the saints draw near to God as confirmed by the apostle Paul who wrote; “Therefore,
brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new
and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His
flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
“Let us hold fast the confession
of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us
consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one
another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews
10:19-25).
This is the number one responsibility
of any one who considers him/herself a saint because, this is what unites the
body of Christ and allows us to draw near to God. For on the one hand there is
an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and
un-profitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there
is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God” (Hebrews
7:18-19).
This is what the apostle Paul termed
as the unsearchable riches of Christ or the manifold wisdom of God for he
wrote; “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was
given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of
Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from
the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through
Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made
known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according
to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom
we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him” (Ephesians
3: 8-12).
This is a covenant of sacrifice
which the saints have covenanted with God and that all should comprehend. Therefore,
to you who believe, He (the Lord) is precious; but to those who are
disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief
cornerstone," and” A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense:" They
stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed” (1Peter
2:7-8)”
Our appointment as saints is to
be as living stones building up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer
up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Because, priests
shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they
offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire (zeal), and the bread of their
God; therefore they shall be holy” (Leviticus 21:6)
Therefore, saints should not neglect
to fulfill this part of the covenant of sacrifice which they have covenanted to
keep, hence the reason why many stumble, they stumble because they are
disobedient to what they have covenanted and appointed to do.
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To be continued
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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